MP for Putney, Roehampton & Southfields Fleur Anderson has announced her support and is calling for people to take the Unblocktober pledge to improve the health of our drains, sewers, watercourses and seas.
Driven completely by the British public, Unblocktober aims to continue to improve the health of our drains and reduce the environmental impact of our wastewater. Launched by drainage experts Lanes Group in 2019, the campaign is marking its fifth year in October 2023.
Fleur Anderson, who serves as Shadow Minister for Northern Ireland, is one of Parliament’s leading voices in the national fight against plastic pollution. She has lobbied for many years for stronger national plastic reduction targets. Fleur served as the Global Head of Campaigns for the international development organisation WaterAid before entering Parliament and is passionate about protecting our oceans, rivers and lakes.
Fleur is at the forefront of a potentially ground-breaking bill to ban plastic in wet wipes, with cross-party backing and the support of environmental organisations. Fleur has submitted her Bill to ban wet wipes several times and will re-enter it into the Private Members Bill ballot this November. While the Government have said they intend to ban plastic in wet wipes earlier this year, there is no actual ban and there is no actual date. Instead, we have a promise of yet another consultation.
Fleur Anderson said: “I’m asking the UK public to support Unblocktober, the campaign to stop flushing wet wipes. Please sign the pledge because wet wipes going down our toilets, combined with fat, cause 300,000 blockages every year. This costs millions of pounds, which goes on top of our bills as a consumer, as well as having a hugely negative environmental impact. The Government has pledged to ban plastic in wet wipes but has not acted yet; show them the way forward by taking action this Unblocktober.”
The campaign calls for consumers to keep potentially harmful waste materials out of their drains for the whole month. This includes any of the following products:
Cooking oil – pre or post-cooking
Margarine
Butter
Lard
Cooking sauces and condiments
Food – even crumbs
Wet wipes
Face masks
Tampons, applicators and wrappers
Sanitary/menstrual pads and towels
Nappies
Condoms
Cotton buds
Contact lenses
Bandages and plasters
Razor blades
Dental floss
Rubber gloves
Jacob Larkin, spokesperson for Unblocktober, said: “The support from Fleur highlights the fantastic work that Unblocktober has been doing for the last five years. It is essential that we improve the overall health of our waterways. We have seen some success with the public’s awareness of fatbergs up from 47% to 77% between 2017 and 2022. However, the UK government is still spending £100 million a year to clear fatbergs, and we need to keep going to make sure that everyone takes the Unblocktober pledge. It is brilliant to see this kind of support come in for the campaign from Fleur and we can’t wait to make this the best Unblocktober yet.”
For more information on the campaign and how to get involved, visit: https://www.unblocktober.org/
